London



A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

'ORDNANCL APPLICATION FILED JuLY 1.1917.

1,315,363, I A Patentedsept. 9, 1919.

Uni srATEs PATENT OEEiOE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUOKI-AM, 0F WESTIVII'NSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIG-NORS TO VICKERS LIMITED,Y OF VESTMINSTER,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ORDNANCE.

Application filed July 7, 1917. Serial No. 179,268.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it k-nown that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAwsON, knight, and Sir GEORGE THOMAS BUOKHAM, knight, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, resi-ding at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented lcertain new anduseful Improvements in or Relating to Ordnance, of which the following is a speciuous to its pivotal axis are disposed between the gun 'cradle and the carriage side cheeks.

rllhe inventioiiis particularly applicable to naval guns of the casemate or upper deck type, :but it may4 also be employed in connection withl guns other than those mounted on ships.

According -to the present invention the said pivoted member in one construction comprisesa cradle whichsurrounds the gun cradle and to which the latter is trunnioned.

l*The inner or gun cradle maybeof the usual form and carries the recoil and run out gear,

.and the other or outer cradle carries the sighting apparatus and also the elevating rack; in cases in which elevation indicating gear (comprising two pointers one moved VVfrom a distance and the other by the movements ofthe gun in elevation) is employed the outerfcradle also carries the recording rackappertaining to this gear. In this manner it is 4not only possible'tomovethe gun to and'ifrom itsloading position without disturbing the sighting apparatus, but when it is desired to run the gun inboard for housing, the Sights, the elevating rack, and the rack vof the elevation indicating gear do not move in'board with the gun, as rthese parts are carried on the outery cradle, the only parts which move inboard vbeing the gun cradle, the recoil and run out gear andthe gun. By

this arrangement the sights, ,the elevation indicating gear andthe elevating gear, are

yin no'way disturbed when the gun isbeing run inboard.

. dle B.

In order that the said invention-may be clearly understood and readily carriediiito eject, we will'c'lescrihethe samemore'fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which z A Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a gun monnting viewed fromthe left Ahand side showing a constructional forni of our invention.

F ig. 2 is a transverse Vvertical section .of F ig. l, lthe section .of the two cradles being `taken approximately .on the line 1, 1 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe rear parts of the gun and the cradles as viewediirom the right hand side.

Fig. 3a` is a halt section taken approximately on .the line 2, 2 of Fig'. l.

Inthese figures A is the vgun and A isthe gun cradle. c, a yare theguncradle .trunnions and a', a are thecarriage'side cheeks. B is `the aforesaid pivoted member which is in the form of a cradle. B is the elevating rack attached to this member and ZJ is the elevating pinion gearing `with the -said rack. A .rack C .(herein termed fthe .elevating loading rack) visconnectedto the `member B while an operating 'hand Wheel C (herein termed ythe elevating loading hand wheel) and the gearing lconnecting it `to .the `said rack are carried by the gun cradle A. The member B .need extend only a .short distance in front of and behind the gun trunnions, but in order that the elevating .loading .hand wheel C maybe .arranged .near the breech end of the .gun as showinithe elevating loading rack C forms part of or is connected to la bar or 'bracket C2 extending rearward from the saidvmember B. f

In the construction shown by Figs. lto 3a, the gun cradle trunnions a, a VAare disposed in bearings in the outer cradle .Band the latter fis provided with trunnions fb, br disposedin bearings in the carriage .side cheeks a', a. The said VVbearings in the outer cradle are constitutedbyfblocks aXX .(see Fig. 3a) which areslidablymounted in longitudinal recesses in the `outer .cradle and v-are locked in these recesses in lany 4suitable manner to venable the lgun cradle to `berui'ifin- Y board as aforesaid. b2' is the aforesaidrack of the. elevation .indicating gear .which rack is carried bya bar b3 extending vrearwardly from the leitrhandside of the outer lcra- The gun is elevated in the usual way by an elevating number olf the guns crew who is situated on the left hand side of the gun, the elevating hand wheel B2 being arranged beneath the eye piece of the telescope B3. I/Vhen this hand wheel is operated, the two cradles move together, the gun and cradlesV moving on the trunnions o, o of the outer cradle. In order to bring the gun to the loading angle when the gun has been elevated, the elevating loading hand wheel C situated at the right hand Vside of the mounting is operated and-imparts movement to a pinion C3 gearing with the elevating loading rack C, thereby depressing the gun cradle A, the outer `cradle meanwhile remaining stationary owing to the fact that it is held in `position by means of the elevating rack B and its operating gear. The result is that, as the outer cradle B. does not move when the gun is being brought to the loading angle, the sighting apparatus, which is carried by the outer cradle and which may have already been set for range, is not disturbed, that is to say the telescopes are not moved ofi' the t( rget. The elevation indicating gear (which also may have been set for range) is also not disturbed, owing to the fact that the rack b2 is rigidly attached to the outer cradle. The gun cradle A normally rests and is carried on a seating machined at the rear `of the outer cradle B thereby forming a stop which insures that the gun cradle shall always lbe brought back from its loading position to 4a denite position in relation to the outer cradle.

The type of gun mounting with which the invention is shown employed is that heretofore proposed by us in which the carriage sidecheeks a', a are extended downward to the deck so as Vto accommodate between them the elevating and training numbers. In this case each of the sighting telescopes may be arranged between the inner trunnion a and the outer trunnion Z), as shown, the outer cradle B being formed with suitable openings BX, BX (see Fig. 2) to accommodate the telescopes B3, B3 so that the axis of the trunnions b, Z) preferably intersects the axes of the telescopes; the telescopes may however be arranged in any other convenient position.

The elevating number and the elevating loading number may be accommodated on platforms B4, B5 moving with the gun in training. accommodate the training number who operates the training hand wheel B6, and the platform B4 also serves to accommodate an auxiliary elevating number who operates the auxiliary elevating hand-wheel Bx. Instead of platforms seats may be provided.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. In ordnance, the combination with the The platform B5 also serves toV gun carriage and the gun cradle, of a second cradle surrounding said gun cradle, means for trunnioning the gun cradle to the second cradle, means for trunnioning said second cradle to the gun carriage, elevating gear operating upon said second cradle for moving the gun and sights together and gearing interposed between the two cradles for moving the gun independently of the sights.

2; In ordnance, the combination with the gun carriage and the gun cradle, of a second cradle surrounding said gun cradle, trunnions on the gun cradle for engaging with the second cradle, trunnions on said second cradle for engaging with the gun carriage, elevating gear operating upon said second cradle for moving the gun and sights together and gearing interposed between the two cradles for moving the gun independently of the sights to a Convenient angle for being loaded.

3. In ordnance, the combination with the gun carriage Vand the gun cradle, of a second cradle surrounding said gun cradle, means for trunnioning the gun cradle to the second cradle, means for trunnioning said second cradle to the gun carriage, elevating gear operating upon said second cradle for moving the gun and nsights together, gearing interposed between the two cradles for moving the gun independently of the sights, and elevation indicating gear comprising a member attached to said-second cradle.

4I. In ordnance, the combination with the gun carriage and the gun cradle, ofl a second cradle surrounding said gun cradle, means for trunnioning the gun cradle to the second cradle, means for trunnioning said second cradle to the gun carriage, elevating gear operating upon said second cradle for moving the gun and sights together, gearing interposed between the two cradles for moving the gun independently of the sights, a member extending rearward from said second cradle, and elevation indicating gear comprising a rack attached to said member.

5. In ordnance, the combination with the gun carriage and the gun cradle, of a second cradle surrounding said gun cradle, trunnions on the gun cradle for engaging with the second cradle, trunnions on said second cradle for engaging with the gun carriage, elevating gear operating upon said second cradle for moving the gun and sights together, gearing interposed between the two cradles for moving the gun independently of the sights to a convenient angle for being loaded, and a sight disposed in an opening in said second cradle.

6. In ordnance, the combination withthe gun carriage and the gun cradle, of a second cradle surrounding. said gun cradle, trunnions on the gun cradle .for engaging with the second cradle, trunnions on said second cradle for engaging with the gun of said second cradle contiguous to its trun- 10 carriage, elevating gear operating upon said nions. second Cradle or movlng the gun und sights In testimony whereof we have hereunto together, gearing interposed between the affixed our signatures.

two cradles for moving the gun independ- ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON.

ently of the sights to a convenient angie for GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. being loaded, side cheeks of the gun oarlWitnesses:

ringe extending downward to the deck and JNO. R. OASWELL,

sights disposed in openings in the portions GERTRUDE WHYTE.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Y

Washington, D. C. 

